Anthropology

Program Purpose: The program includes the study of the biological and cultural adaptations of humans both past and present. Biological and Cultural Anthropology courses satisfy lower division General Education requirements and are eligible for transfer to most four-year institutions.

Program Description: Training in Anthropology provides students with a comprehensive education of the human condition and specialization in the various sub-disciplines can lead to careers both in the sciences and humanities. Career opportunities in Anthropology are numerous and include opportunities in corporate business, advocacy work, public health, and academic and research positions.

Anthropology, being the study of humans, provides students with the perspective to confront an increasingly diverse population. Anthropology provides skills to face multi-cultural situations with understanding and without bias. Anthropology is a four field discipline: cultural, biological (physical), archaeology and linguistics. At Ventura College, the focus is on two of the four fields, Cultural Anthropology and Physical Anthropology. The cultural subfield offers insight into the world’s religions, traditions and ethnicities. The physical subfield (or biological) allows for an understanding of the biological similarities of Homo sapiens and the invalidity of biological racial differences between groups. The bio-cultural perspective of the discipline provides students with a holistic awareness of themselves and the world around them. The courses offered in the Anthropology department fulfill requirements for students working toward academic goals and personal growth. Anthropology courses in both Physical and Cultural Anthropology fulfill requirements in the Associate in Arts Degree and the Associate in Science Degree in the natural sciences and the social and behavioral sciences.